(Minghui.org) I'm 35 years old, and have practiced Falun Dafa for 14 years. I have only a junior high school degree. I've worked at 20 different companies over the past ten years. I try to do my best at work, and also try my best to clarify the truth. I would like to share a few stories.
My Experiences at an Automotive Company
Most workers at this company are young and skilled. I, on the other hand, had no experience in this field. As an intern I was assigned to shadow a mentor who was two years younger than me. There was another intern in our group named Ming. He was a few years older and was smart and capable.
Our mentor looked down on me because I didn't even have a high school degree, and I could not tell a screw from a bolt. He didn't want to show me anything and always frowned at me. When it came to the real technical stuff, he only showed Ming. He told me to count screws. After two weeks I learned nothing, but Ming learned a lot.
The manager came to inspect our group. He highly praised Ming's work. When he saw me counting screws, he asked what I’d learned. Before I could answer the mentor said, “She's clumsy. It's been two weeks, but she's learned nothing. All she does is count screws.” Ming added, “She doesn't belong here. She's too slow to learn anything.”
I was a little upset. But I immediately reminded myself that I was a Falun Dafa disciple, and I should follow the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” I should not be moved. I said nothing, and simply smiled.
After the manager left, the mentor told Ming and the other co-workers, “I'm not going to teach her anything. Watch her quit.” In my heart, I said to Master Li (the founder of Falun Gong), “Master, I cannot quit now. I haven't clarified the truth to anyone here. I want to tell them about Falun Dafa and awaken them. I can't just leave.”
Master Li helped me.
When the manager heard about my mentor's attitude towards me, he scolded him. The mentor had no choice but to teach me some things. But he always saved the new tools for Ming, and left me with the old, worn out tools, which even the experienced workers avoided using. When he taught me, he went through the demonstration very quickly. If I made mistakes, both he and Ming yelled at me.
I was able to maintain my xinxing. No matter what they did to me, I just smiled and did not complain. I just did my best.
I reminded myself that I’m a practitioner and I should follow Master's teachings. Besides fulfilling my duty, I also helped elsewhere. I organized the tools and cleaned the workroom.
One day, the manager saw me picking up parts from the floor for the other workers. He was touched and said, “I've been watching you for a long time. You are different than the other workers. You behave responsibly. You're a breath of fresh air for the entire workshop.”
Unfortunately his praise made the mentor and Ming jealous, and they treated me even worse than before. The mentor incited his friends at the factory to treat me badly. I never received any acknowledgment, no matter how hard I worked. Instead I was yelled at and cursed at. I reminded myself that I’m a practitioner. I smiled no matter how unfairly I was treated.
One day, Ming and I were working on a piece of steel. He flipped it before I was ready, and my thumb was badly cut and bleeding. I asked Master for help, and thought, “I should not cause trouble for others.”
Master helped me. I did not feel much pain. I wrapped my thumb and the bleeding soon stopped.
Ming didn't feel bad for injuring me. Instead, he complained to our mentor about how clumsy I was. The mentor saw the cut on my thumb, and said, “If you cannot do the work, go home.” Then he and Ming had a good laugh.
I said nothing. After work, my thumb swelled up and started to hurt. I began to cry, “Three whole months! Every day I'm insulted by them. What have I done wrong? Should I quit?”
At home, my mother, who is also a practitioner, discussed whether this was interference from the old forces. We then sent forth righteous thoughts. That night, my thoughts were chaotic. I wanted to quit, but I kept reminding myself that I was a Dafa disciple who had the historic task of awakening sentient beings, so I should not quit.
I had a dream in which Master instructed me as I built a tall building. We were almost finished, except for the last floor. Master said, “It cannot be finished until you find some special material.” He then gave me a bowl and asked me to look for the special material. I didn't quite understand. I knocked on people's doors and asked for the material.
People were polite, but told me that they didn't have it. I searched for an entire day, but found nothing. I went back, disappointed. On the way I passed by a school. A group of naughty boys shouted, “We have your special material!” Then they spit something gross into my bowl.
When I showed Master he was happy and said, “Yes, that's the special material. Now you can finish the building.”
When I woke up I realized that Master had given me a hint to help me pass the test. Wasn’t the spit from the naughty boys the insults from my mentor and co-workers? I thanked Master.
I recalled Master's teaching in The Fourth Talk in Zhuan Falun,
“The altercations or mistreatment that you encounter as you practice might be either of two scenarios. One is that you mistreated the other person during a past life. Perhaps the situation preys on your mind, and you can’t believe someone would treat you as they are. Well, then you shouldn’t have treated them that way in the past. You might say that you didn’t know better back then and that this lifetime has nothing to do with that one. But you can’t write it off like that. Another thing is, karma is surely being reworked with any altercation you get into, so we should be magnanimous and not handle it like most people would.”
Master also told us,
“Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
How could I complain about the suffering I endured at work?
The next day I was calm. I treated everyone with compassion. I smoothly passed the test for interns, and I became an official worker. A co-worker said to me, “You finally passed the test.” I knew this was Master encouraging me through this co-worker. Thank you Master!
One day the mentor said to me, “I'm so impressed by you. Over the last three months we have insulted you in every way. But you never complained or fought back. You're always smiling and positive. How can you do that? Nobody here would be able to do it. Where did you get such a broad heart?”
It was the first time the mentor had talked to me in a civil tone. I smiled and said, “I practice Falun Dafa. My Master taught us to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and not fight back. As a Dafa disciple, I should always consider others first, and always look inward for my own problems whenever a conflict arises.”
He was surprised and said, “You practice Falun Dafa?!” He asked several questions. As he and the others listened, I explained how Dafa is practiced throughout the world, and how millions of Chinese have quit the Chinese Communist Party. They listened carefully. The mentor was especially interested and said he wanted to practice Falun Dafa.
Within a few days, almost everyone knew that I was a practitioner. Whenever I got a chance, I encouraged them to quit the Party. Their attitudes toward me changed dramatically, and we became good friends.
One of the co-workers was about to be relocated, but I didn't have a chance to talk to him. On his last day I kept anxiously asking Master for a chance to talk to him. When I walked outside I suddenly heard that co-worker say, “Hey, I heard that you're a Falun Dafa practitioner. Can you tell me more?” I was so surprised and excited that I almost cried. The co-worker listened carefully and quit the Party.
My Experiences at a Glass Factory
I got a job at a tempered glass factory as a product quality inspector. I believe that as a Dafa disciple, nothing that happens to us is coincidental.
One of the group leaders at the factory was a retired military officer who was kicked out because he had a fight with his superior. In this factory, he was known to be a bully with a bad temper. The first time I met him, he treated me coldly. I inspected their products, and pointed out that one of the glass plates was too thin, and did not meet the standard.
He was angry, “I've checked every single plate. There should not be any problems. This stack has more than one hundred plates, and every single one is the same size. How can you point one out by just glancing at it?”
I asked him to take that plate out and measure the thickness. I was right—it was 1 mm thinner than the requirement. He was very surprised.
Actually, I didn't even know how to use the caliper. I didn't know how I was able to find the thin plate. I felt that Master was helping me.
This story spread throughout the factory, and my co-workers respected me. I got along with everybody very well. The factory's vice president said, “You're very popular. Many people told me that when they see you, they feel happy and relaxed. Keep up the good work!”
Because we practice Falun Dafa, our energy is positive and people can feel it. Master said, “Bathed in divine light, conduct and thought become right.” (Zhuan Falun).
Every day I reminded myself that the reason Master arranged for me to work there was so that I could clarify the truth and awaken people. So, whenever I talked to a co-worker, I always sent forth righteous thoughts to disintegrate whatever blocked them from accepting what I said. I asked Master to give me wisdom.
One day when I was reading Minghui Weekly in my office, the president of the company came in and saw it. He was shocked and exclaimed, “What?! You practice Falun Dafa? No one is allowed to practice that here. Police are searching for them and arresting them. How dare you?”
I was calm and smiled, “Don't panic sir,” I said. “How much do you know about Falun Dafa? If the lies the Party has spread on TV are true, then why are so many people practicing it? Falun Dafa is practiced in more than 100 countries. You must see the facts, and not listen to the propaganda on TV.”
He said, “You lie! Falun Dafa is not practiced in 100 countries. That's impossible! Who told you that?”
I showed him the Minghui Weekly. He read through it, including the articles about the April 25 Appeal, how Dafa has spread, the forced organ harvesting, and how millions of Chinese have quit the Party.
Then I explained why my family supports Falun Dafa, and how my family has benefited.
He was deeply moved, and said, “One of my relatives practices Falun Dafa. He spends most of his income making materials which he hands out to people. I don't understand why. So, when he talks to me about Dafa, I refuse to listen. Today, you've told me so much, and now I understand.” He happily agreed to quit the Party.
The president was supportive when I clarified the truth to my co-workers. Dozens of people in my work unit quit the Party.
My Shoe Polishing Shop
Three years ago, with Master's help I opened my own shoe polishing store. The business was good. Within two years we had a few hundred frequent customers. Mother and I talked to them about Falun Dafa, and many quit the Party.
Because I always follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and serve the customers sincerely, we have a good reputation. Many people come to my store from distant areas.
One afternoon, an older lady came to my store to have the heel of her shoe fixed. I fixed it and charged her 10 yuan (roughly 1.5 U.S. dollars). She gave me a 20 yuan bill, and I returned her 10 one yuan bills. Many people were waiting in line. After I took care of them, I noticed the lady standing there. She said she was waiting for her change.
I said, “I gave you 10 one yuan bills. I saw you put them in your shirt pocket. Can you check?”
She took out the roll of bills, and said, “These are not from you. This morning, my daughter gave me this money to take the bus. How can you say these are from you?”
I didn't argue, and I immediately gave her a 10-yuan bill. She left angrily.
My neighbor was there and saw everything. She said, “I saw you give her the change. Why did you give her another 10-yuan bill? You fixed her shoe and then gave her money. What kind of business is this?”
I said, “I'm a Falun Dafa practitioner. My Master asks us to consider others first. She is a senior citizen. Her memory must be poor, as she was confused. If I didn't give her that money, she would be upset. It's not worth it. I just hope she will be happy and healthy.”
My neighbor was touched and said, “Practitioners are so nice.”
A few days later, a senior lady rushed into my store, and handed me a bag of shoes for polishing, as well as a 10-yuan bill. I looked at her carefully, and realized it was that lady.
She said, “I'm sorry about the other day. You did give me the change. When I got home, I found the roll of bills from my daughter was on the table. You are so nice. You didn't argue with me, and fixed my shoes well. Where can we find people like you nowadays. I told my children about it. They didn't believe that such good people still existed in today's society. They asked me to bring all the shoes at home that need to be polished or fixed, and give you the business. From now on, we will only come to your store.”
I've had many difficulties, and failed many cultivation tests. I feel that Master is with me all the time, watching me, guiding me, and helping me break through all the blocks.
I know that compared to those fellow practitioners who cultivate very well, I have plenty of room for improvement. I will try my best, cherish the limited time we have left, and walk well the rest of the journey.
